Why Your Last Brand Name Mattress Didn't Last

by Joe AlexanderApril 17, 2014

If I had a nickel for every customer who walked through the door of my stores with the story of their name brand coil mattress developing a body impression 3 months, 6 months, 1 year after purchasing it, I would have a lot of nickels. Literally, it is an every day occurrence. Big Brand coil mattresses just are not built to hold up very long.

A quick look over at the Owner Satisfaction chart for big brands mattresses at SleepLIkeTheDead.com and you discover that innerspring coil mattresses have earned the lowest owner satisfaction in America. And yet, people still buy them.

WHY!?

First of all, there is name recognition. And most of the big box retailers you hear on the radio and see on TV carry these brands because they are recognized and the profit margins are great. Personally, I would never sell the junk they offer, I don't want to have to ignore my conscience to make a living. These beds are poorly made and designed to get you back in the mattress store for a new mattress in 5 years or less.

Why did it fail so quickly? Why did it develop a body impression so soon after purchase? Doesn't it have a 20 year warranty? All great questions. Let's reverse the buying process and discover why.

When you purchase a mattress for let's say $1000, box spring and mattress, there are a lot of hands in the pot. First, the salesperson will generally receive a commission and in that type of retail establishment it is usually 10%. So, $100 bucks goes to the salesperson, leaving $900. Then there is "free" delivery. You don't really think its free, right? Those two nice guys that delivered in that big truck aren't part of a charity, they make a wage, have insurance and that truck they drove takes gas, insurance, truck payments and maintenance. And the cost of maintaining the warehouse they stored the mattress. There is a cost to them making that delivery and its factored into the price of the mattress.

Next, the store spends a ton of money on advertising, and that has to be factored into every product, along with the cost of the store, utilities, etc. This is called the "margin" and every store has to cover their overhead on every product they sell. The standard margin is 20%, so let's say another $200 of that mattress goes to the stores expenses. Now we are and $700. $300 covers the store and the sales commission. But what about profit? The store itself has to make money, right? Usually that is anywhere from 10-50% of the mattress. Let's be generous here and say another 20% goes to the store, another $200. That means $500 to the store. Which is consistent if they purchased it from the manufacturer for $500.

Now, buying it from the manufacturer at $500 means the manufacturer has to make a profit too. If they make their half, it's likely that mattress was made for around $150-$200 after manufacturing, warehousing, trucking and paying the salesperson for the mattress company. And that is not even taking into consideration their big ad campaigns. After they paid the workers to make it, it's likely there are about $75-$80 worth of fabric, foam and metal in your bed.

So, are you surprised your mattress developed a body impression? There are very low cost, low quality foams and fibers packed in atop the inexpensive metal coils. Wrap it in a fancy looking fabric with a name brand tag and call it a fancy name and you have the illusion of a high quality product.

Why are our mattresses any different?

We deal only with manufacturers who ship direct to customer and use FedEX or UPS to consolidate shipping, doing away with all the hidden costs associated with the big brand mattress companies. Not having all the overhead and expenses associated with that big box retailer and big name brand means more quality materials for your mattress. One of those quality manufacturers we work with is BedInABox.com, makers of the highest owner satisfaction mattress in America. American made, non-toxic and affordable, BedInABox.com memory foam mattresses are the best selling product in our stores. Because they come compress-packed and shipped directly to your doorstep, and because they don't have a huge advertising budget, factory sales reps, big semi's and warehouses, they can charge less and pass the savings on to you.